The Hunger Games: Clara Pond
by Missfantasyland
Summary: Clara Pond has always seen the Hunger Games as a death sentence but when she is reaped to take part in the 57th Hunger Games along with fellow tribute ,Rhydian Morris, she has to make quick decisions and decide which side she is on while trying to survive in the living nightmare of The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: Kill or be killed. Enjoy! REDO OF THE 64TH HUNGER GAMES!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

I sit at the window, my frozen hands clasped on the cup of tea that has now gone cold and a small shawl wrapped around my shoulders. Even in the summer the early hours of the day are still cold. I watch as the sun starts to rise and the sky starting to turn from blue to light orange. I look over across the bedroom and look at my younger sister, Lily who is fast asleep. I place the cold cup of tea on the windowsill and I start to walk towards the bed. I sit on the edge of it and push back a strand of Lily's brown hair and then she pulls away and turns over. I get up and walk out the room onto the landing. I often compare myself to Lily. She is 12, small in stature with brown hair, fair skin and has my mothers blue eyes. Like the deep blue from a gas flame.

I'm actually small for my age, which is 16, With a mixture of my fathers dark red hair and my mothers brown. My eyes are from my father, a bluey-green color and lastly my olive skin from my mothers side. I'm a mixture of both my parents whereas Lily is like a miniature version of mom. I pass my parents bedroom now, where the door is just a little bit open. I take a look inside. They are both sleeping. My dad has his arms wrapped around Mom protectively. They had a small argument last night because of Lily's first Reaping., I'm not really sure why though. I think it's because they are both scared. Everyone is.

I walk downstairs, already dressed and find a basket of bread on the table. My mother must of made it last night. I grab a piece and put on my jacket and boots. I walk into the front of our house. The small sitting room which is reserved for visitors, which we never have, We mostly use it as a room where we have our special dinners like Christmas and birthdays. And where we have our dinner after the Reaping to celebrate me not being chosen to be tributes. But at those dinners I think ,in the back of my mind, of those poor families of children who were chosen. They will close their curtains and think about how they will cope with the depressing weeks to come.

I finish my bread and go into the shop. My mother owns a small grocery store and my father is a lumberjack. We live in the town area of District 7. By now mom would be getting ready to open shop and dad would be off to work, but not today. Today is the Reaping. The event in which two poor kids will be chosen to take part in The Hunger Games. At 2:00pm today everyone will gather in the square for the Reaping where the eccentric Freyda Poppy will read out the names of two people and then escort them to the Capitol. I'm not worried for me, My name has been in that large glass bowl 5 times plus another 2 because I have signed up for a tessera twice before but my parents made me stop because they were to scared I would get chosen. Now it's Lily's turn. This is her first ever Reaping. I wouldn't let her sign up for a tessera. I still worry about her getting chosen but I doubt she will. It's her first year and her name has only been in there once but you can't help feeling scared.

I go out of the shop and open the front door. A ray of sunlight hit's my face and I shield it with my hand. Before I step out I hear a voice behind me.

'Clara? Where are you going?' It's Lily.

I close the door and walk over to her. I kneel down so I'm at her level.

'I'm just going to Sapphires,' I say, Sapphire is my best friend, 'I will be back before we have to leave for the Reaping.'

I see the light go from her eyes and I feel her tense up. She suddenly hugs me tight as if she would never let go. I hug back, stroking her head.

'Lil, it's OK, everything is going to be fine.'

'Clara I'm scared, what if they choose my name?'

'But there not,' I take her face in my hands and look her in the eyes,'Your name has only been in there once, OK? There not going to pick you.'

She gives a reassured smile but I can still see the terror in her eyes.

'I will be back, just try to get some rest.'

She nods and pads back up the stairs. I then walk out the front door and close it quietly, trying not to wake mom and dad. I then make my way down the street to Sapphires, Lily's scared face stuck in my mind. She's to fragile, to young to participate. I just couldn't bare it if she died. I wouldn't know how to cope. I know what I have to do if she gets reaped. I will have to volunteer for her...

* * *

**Thanks for reading this chapter of my redo of the 64th hunger games! I hoped you like it. It dragged a bit but things are going to go down in the next chapter (or the the one after that!) OK so I changed a few things in this version of the story like changing my main characters name to Clara Pond and changing her little sisters name to Lily instead. I also changed Tom to a girl who is now called Sapphire Blake and more on her in the next chapter. Rhydian is still Rhydian and Angara And Freyda haven't changed. I gave Clara both parents as well. The reason why I redid this is because I wasn't happy with the way I had been so close to the source material and I wasn't really liking the way it was playing out so I'm doing it again! I hope you enjoy it!**

**See you in the next chapter**

**Erinx**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

As I walk down the street I can't help noticing the silence that has spread through District 7 like a poisonous gas. It's eerily quiet and It feels very strange. Usually the square would be swarming with people setting up shop but today it's silent. I get to the other side of town where Sapphires house is. Sapphire lives with her aunt and she is an only child. I knock the door and it swings open. Sapphire appears at the door. Sapphire is a very pretty girl. She has blond hair and beautiful skin. Her eyes are the blue of a sapphire the gem which she is named after.

I'm not really sure how we became friends it just happened. She has been a very good friend over the past few years. It took me 3 years to get to know her fully because she kept holding back things about her past. Her parents, the games...

'Oh your here early.' She says, looking at me.

'I couldn't sleep.'

'Neither could I, come in. My aunt is sleeping though.'

I step inside her house and follow her up the stairs into her room. I take a seat at her desk as she shuts the door.

'Whats up?' She asks, folding her arms.

'I'm worried.' I say, looking at my hands.

'About the reaping? About Lily?'

I nod.

'Clara, her name is one of hundreds theres no way she will get chosen.'

Sapphire sits on her bed. How am I going to tell her? Sapphire look if my sister gets chosen I'm going to volunteer for her and you might lose your best friend. This is going to good. Sapphire has this thing about the games. You see for everyone else when the Hunger Games are over everyone moves and can forget until they do it all over again. But for the family's of the tributes who died don't. They have to be reminded of it every year. Thats why the games are so close together, so the fear is still fresh in peoples minds. Sapphire is one of those people. She lost her brother a few years back. He was a tribute who actually got in the final 10, but then a career put a knife in his back and he died. She wouldn't talk for months after. Even worse, after that both her parents disappeared. They just vanished into thin air and no one ever saw them again. Thats why she lives with her aunt. She's so emotionally scared but is one of the strongest people I know. She doesn't complain about little things in life like food shortages, school things like that, because she's already lost so much and she values life much more than most people.

She's talking about the reaping and is looking in her wardrobe for a dress. I quickly say to get it over with 'Sapphire if Lily gets chosen I'm going to volunteer for her.'

She looks at me, confusion mixed with shock clearly shown on her face. She looks to the floor. Theres a long pause, then she finally speaks. 'Are you insane?'

'No I'm not, Sapphire she's my sister I can't just let walk into these games. She's too young,' I pause and then say quietly ,' I can't watch her die.'

'OK, what happens if you do volunteer, what happens if you die? What about your parents, me, Lily?'

'It's something I need to do. If you could change the past, if you had the choice, would you of volunteered for your brother?'

She hesitates and looks at the window and then speaks 'Yes,' She looks at me 'OK, if you need to do this, then do it.'

'Thank you.' I get up and hug her. I feel relieved she is OK with it. It wouldn't be good if the last memory I had of Sapphire was her being angry at me. Even after what she's gone through I'm glad she's taken it well and I know she understands. She's strong and I admire that. She lets go of me 'OK well I need to get ready.'

'Me too.' I say putting my hands in my pockets.

'I'll see you at the Reaping then.'

'Bye, good luck.'

I walk out the door and go down the stairs. On my way out I bump into Sapphires aunt. 'OH, I'm sorry I didn't see you!' I say, apologizing

'No no it's OK.' She says, brushing down her clothes. She is wearing a two piece outfit. A white blouse with a ruffled bottom and a flowing brown skirt, her hair in a dutch braid down her back. Even though Sapphire has her mothers blond hair, her aunt has a dirty blond type instead. I never really know what to say to Sapphires aunt, I'm not really sure what her name is. I don't really talk to her much when I'm here. We nod at each other as she heads back upstairs and I walk out the door. '_God, that was awkward'_ I think to myself and I start to walk back to my house.

* * *

I get in and the house is quiet, except for my mother who is washing up and Lily who's eating her cereal a bit more slower than usual.

'Oh your back.' Mom says, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. 'You better take a bath and get dressed.'

I nod and obediently do as I say. 'Clara,!?' She calls after me, 'I've laid something out for you.'

'OK' I say and go up the stairs. In the bathroom a hot tub of water is waiting for me. It must of taken a while to heat up the water because we don't have running water in our house we have a pump in the back garden. I lower myself into the tub and then sit down. I do as my mother says and take a long wash, carefully making sure I don't miss a bit of dirt from my body. I also wash my hair too, taking time to moisturize the watered down shampoo we have had for a long time. Shampoo is expensive but my mother had once bought some especially last year for special occasions. Like the Reaping. She waters it down so it will last longer.

When I'm done I wrap myself in a towel and dry my hair as well. Still wrapped in the towel I go into the bedroom where my mother has laid out my reaping outfit. It's one of her old dresses. A sleeveless deep green dress that flows around the bottom and is very light and airy. It was a dress my mother wore to one of her Reaping . I remember admiring it when I was younger saying I wanted a dress like that, and now I do. It's just I wish I didn't have to wear it for this occasion. I put on my shoes and go downstairs, my hair still a tiny bit damp.

When I go into the kitchen my mother clasps her hands and smiles, tears in her eyes. They are sad tears but she tries to make them look like she's crying from joy. Lily has already changed into her clothes as well. A little blue dress with short sleeves and flowers in black and dark blue with a light blue and white ribbon around the waist and a sky blue cardigan over the top. Her brown hair but into two French plaits. She looks very nice. My mother does my hair for me, brushing it it till it dries. Naturally my hair is curly but somehow my mother make it even more curlier. At the end of it my shiny brownish-red hair falls down my back in a shower of ringlets just above my waist. As finishing touch she puts a blue hair-band in Lily's hair and a green one in mine. My father comes in. he looks at us and starts to cry. 'My two beautiful girls.' He comes over and hugs us both.

'You did brilliantly.' He says giving my mother a kiss on the cheek. She smiles and hugs him. Then a siren goes off telling everyone to get to the Reaping. We all look at each other. As we walk out the door Lily grabs my hand. I hold it as we walk to the square, our parents following behind us. Attendance is mandatory unless you want to be killed.

As we make our way, we soon get caught up in a lot of people. In the square is the Justice building, now decorated with Capitol banners and camera crews are now filming the whole thing. A makeshift stage is set up with two large glass bowels filled with everyones names, a microphone and 4 chairs. One for mayor, one for his 8 year old son, and his wife. The fourth one is for Angara Forrest, the mentor for District 7. She won about nine years ago. She was very skilled with an axe, or so I have been told.

My parents give us one last hug and make there way to the roped of areas where family who are not in the Reaping stand. Everyone else stands in line to have there finger pricked to take a blood sample where they can identify you. Me and Lily take our places in the line, Lily in front of me. 'Clara does it hurt?, the blood sample?'

'Not a lot, just a little.'

When it's Lily's turn the attendant takes out her hand and offers it to Lily. The woman is actually quiet nice comforting her as she takes the blood and scans it. I watch as Lily walks to the to the 12 year olds area and takes her place. I give my hand to the woman and flinch a little as she she take the blood from my finger and scans it. After I then go in to the 16 year olds area and also take my place and I try to spot Sapphire in the masses of people. .she is just 5 people down from me. She is wearing a White blouse and a baby yellow skirt.

'Are you OK?' she mouths to me.

I nod and we stand back in line with everyone else. It takes about another ten minutes before everyone is done and in there places. The square is so silent you could hear a pin drop. Everyone is tensing up and they watch the stage. Then Freyda Poppy ,the District 7 escort, comes on and taps the microphone.

'Welcome! Welcome everyone, happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.' Freyda trills.

She looks... very interesting. She is wearing a a flouncy red dress that makes her look like a bright red ball, her hair is light red with a rose in it and it looks as if she is gravely ill because her skin is a pale white color. Her lips are being murdered with red lipstick that look bit strange on her ghostly white skin and her shoes are about an 12 inch heel. Capitol people are so weired, doing there hair in crazy styles and colors, wearing clothing that makes them look mental and even dying there skin. They really must not know how silly they look to everyone else.

She continues 'Now before we begin we have the treaty of the treason to be read out by the mayor and then we will move onto the Reaping.'

The mayor thanks her and comes up and reads the treaty. It's the same every year. He mentions the rebellion and the bombing of District 13 and then how The Hunger Games were invented as a reminder the districts had to pay in order to be 'free'. When it's finally over, he welcomes back Freyda to the stage. She takes her place back at the microphone and speaks in her posh Capitol accent.

'Now the time has come for us to select the girl and boy to represent District 7 in the 57th Hunger Games, as usual, ladies first.'

My heart starts to beat fast in my chest and I feel as though I can't breath. She walks over to the large glass bowel on her left and digs in. She take about 5 seconds before pulling out a name. '_Please don't let it be Lily, please.' _I think to myself.

She walks back to the microphone, and opens the slip of paper.

She pauses and then calls out the name on the slip.

And it's not Lily.

It's me.


End file.
